Guides
NEPA and CEQA guides
What each document is, when it is required and what it contains, cited to current law, with an AI draft one click away.
Sign up freeNEPA documents
- NEPA processHow a NEPA review works and the NEPA documents it produces: the threshold check, CE, EA and FONSI, EIS and record of decision.
- Categorical exclusionsWhat a NEPA categorical exclusion covers, how extraordinary circumstances are checked, and what a CE decision memo contains.
- Environmental assessmentWhat a NEPA environmental assessment (EA) is, when one is required, its 75-page and one-year limits, and what a FONSI contains.
- Environmental impact statementWhat an environmental impact statement (EIS) is, when NEPA requires one, the steps to a ROD, page limits and how long one takes.
- Scoping letterWhat a NEPA scoping letter should include, what the law requires for scoping and public comment, and an outline to draft from.
- NEPA regulationsWhere NEPA regulations live after CEQ's rules were removed: agency procedures, the 2023 limits, Seven County and FAST-41.
- Permitting reformPermitting reform in 2026: what the SPEED Act and S. 5653 would change in NEPA, compared from the bill text, and what is law today.
- Environmental impact assessmentWhat an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is, the EIA process step by step, and how NEPA and CEQA carry it out in the US.
- Environmental permittingWhat environmental permitting is, how NEPA review fits with federal permits such as CWA 404, and the usual permits to plan for.
- Environmental planningWhat environmental planning is, what planners do on NEPA and CEQA reviews, and the jobs: who hires them, median pay and training.
CEQA documents
- CEQAWhat CEQA is, who it applies to, the CEQA Guidelines process from exemption to EIR, the lead agency, and where CEQA documents go.
- Initial studyWhat a CEQA initial study contains, the Appendix G checklist, when it leads to an ND, an MND or an EIR, and review periods.
- Mitigated negative declarationA mitigated negative declaration (MND) under CEQA: when it fits, how long it takes in CEQAnet filings, and what forces an EIR instead.
- CEQA exemptionsHow CEQA exemptions work: statutory and categorical exemptions, the exceptions, the Notice of Exemption and AB 130 and SB 131.
- Environmental impact reportWhat an environmental impact report (EIR) is under CEQA, what goes in one, how it differs from an EIS, and how long it takes.
- CEQA and NEPAWhen CEQA and NEPA both apply to a project, how the two reviews differ, which documents match, and how to prepare a joint EIR/EIS.
Reviews alongside NEPA
- Section 106What Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires: the 36 CFR part 800 steps, SHPO and tribal consultation.
- HUD environmental reviewHow a HUD environmental review works under 24 CFR Part 58: exemptions, levels of review, the ERR, public notices and the RROF.
- ESA Section 7How Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation works: IPaC species lists, biological assessments, informal vs formal, timelines.
Agency NEPA procedures
- Forest Service NEPAForest Service NEPA under USDA's 7 CFR 1b: categorical exclusions, decision memos (FANECs) and the 36 CFR 218 objection process.
- Interior and BLM NEPABLM NEPA in 2026: the DOI NEPA Handbook, what's left of 43 CFR part 46, BLM categorical exclusions, DNAs, and ePlanning.
- FHWA NEPAHow FHWA NEPA works under 23 CFR part 771: 771.117 categorical exclusions, CE agreements, NEPA assignment, EAs and EISs.
- DOE NEPADOE NEPA in 2026: what stays in 10 CFR 1021, the 2026 DOE NEPA procedures, its categorical exclusions and CX determinations.
- FAA NEPAFAA NEPA under Order 1050.1G: when NEPA applies to FAA actions, categorical exclusions (CATEXs), and airport EAs and EISs.
- FEMA EHP reviewHow FEMA EHP review works for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grants: NEPA levels, CATEXs, the REC and submittals.
State environmental review
- State environmental reviewWhich states have a little NEPA, how state environmental policy acts differ from NEPA, and how CEQA, SEQR and SEPA work.
- New York SEQRANew York SEQRA and SEQR step by step: Type I, Type II and Unlisted actions, the Full EAF, declarations and the 2026 amendments.
- Washington SEPAWashington SEPA step by step: exemptions, the SEPA environmental checklist, DNS, MDNS and DS determinations, and the EIS.
- Massachusetts MEPAHow MEPA review works in Massachusetts: the review thresholds, the Environmental Notification Form, EIRs and Certificates.
- Hawaii HEPAHEPA Hawaii: what triggers HRS Chapter 343 review, its exemptions, the environmental assessment, and a FONSI or an EISPN.
Research tools and examples
- NEPA examplesReal EIS, EA and CE decision memo examples from 2024 to 2026, where each one is published, and how to pick your precedent.
- NEPA timelinesHow long NEPA takes: Forest Service and CEQ medians for CEs, EAs and EISs by year, and the 1-year EA and 2-year EIS deadlines.
- Decision memo examples12 signed Forest Service decision memos (now FANECs), one per CE, with 36 CFR 220.6 and 7 CFR 1b.4 numbers and days taken.
- EIS databaseHow to search EPA's EIS database by title, agency and state, read a record, and download the EISs and comment letters it holds.
- NEPAssistWhat EPA's NEPAssist screening tool reports, the map layers it draws on, and how to use its report in an affected environment section.
- IPaCHow USFWS IPaC works: official species lists vs resource lists, 90-day validity, critical habitat and determination keys.
- CEQAnetWhat CEQAnet holds, how to search it for CEQA precedent by document type, agency and county, SCH numbers and CEQA Submit.